Opinion - Letters to the Editor   

Futile exercise

NBA activists and Bhopal gas victims are trying to engage a cynical government. The Government has demonstrated time and again that in its scheme of things moral considerations do not figure. Some of the best-paid public sector employees get what they want by bringing financial transactions to a standstill. All that the people affected by the Sardar Sarovar dam and the Bhopal gas tragedy have been getting even after two decades of struggle are empty assurances.

Shree Kumar,
Udupi, Karnataka

The Government's attitude to NBA leader Medha Patkar, whose fast in protest against raising the height of the Sardar Sarovar dam has entered the 14th day, is puzzling. The determined leader's non-violent protest for the cause of 20,000 displaced families is laudable. It may be recalled that Jawaharlal Nehru was forced to grant a separate State of Andhra after Potti Sriramulu died fasting for the cause and widespread disturbances followed. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh should take immediate action to sort out the Narmada issue amicably instead of trying to break Ms. Patkar's fast.

Kandalla Rajagandhi,
Tirupati, A.P.

One wonders why the issue is not being treated with the urgency it deserves. It is ironical that a government that is willing to widen reservation for a section of the underprivileged is not willing to recognise the basic right of the displaced to life and livelihood.

S. Srinivas,
Visakhapatnam, A.P.

With the fast of the doughty social worker crossing the second week, things have reached boiling point. The attitude of the powers-that-be is beyond comprehension. The Prime Minister can consider issuing an order saying work on increasing the dam height will continue but storage will be restricted to a level that does not affect the villages not fully rehabilitated.

N. Khosla,
Panchkula, Haryana

When you see Ms. Patkar relentlessly crusading for the displaced tribals, the face of the orphan, Oliver Twist, holding his bowl and asking for more immediately comes to your mind. For this he was turned out. The lot of the displaced tribals seems to be no better. Are we a welfare state? Is there any governance at all? Leave alone sensitivity. The establishment dragging its feet is a national shame.

N.G.R. Prasad,
Chennai

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Stories in this Section

Mr. Berlusconi's clear defeat
The limits to openness
Narmada project: the points at issue
The WTO and civil society: an encounter
Too old to be a ballerina? Then just buy the accessories
A symptom of this age of stalemate
Corrections and clarification
Price of negligence
Futile exercise
Reservation debate
"Cooperation and conflict co-exist"

Copyright © 2006, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu